Tampa Museum of Art 2013 Fall Exhibitions Showcase Modern Masters, Contemporary Photography and New Media Film

(August 15, 2013 – Tampa, FL) The Tampa Museum of Art announces its 2013 fall schedule, a range of works from three traveling exhibitions: Fragile Waters, whichfeaturesover 119 inspiring black-and-white photographs by three iconic photographers and environmentalists: Ansel Adams, Ernest H. Brooks II, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly; Arp, Calder, and Miro: Modern Masters from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, an exhibition from one of America’s most important modern art museums that investigates the relationship between these three masters of 20th century art; and Sea of Tranquillity, a film by Brussels-based visual artist Hans Op de Beeck, which invites viewers to a night time visit upon a mysterious, mythical cruise liner.

Executive Director, Todd D. Smith, commented, “We are so pleased to present this full fall season of exhibitions. Fragile Waters allows us to consider the role of photography in documenting and calling our attention to one of the world’s most precious commodities, water. Hans op de Beeck’s video installation places his exploration on the human condition onboard a fictitious cruise liner. And finally, the Museum is excited to offer gems from one of the America’s most comprehensive art museums dedicated to modern and contemporary art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo. Arp, Calder, and Miro allows residents and visitors a rare chance to peek into the rich holdings of a sister institution and the complex history of modern art.”

The artists represented in our fall exhibitions strove to challenge the viewer and provoke thought and discussion. We delight in presenting a new exhibition season that readily communicates with our diversified audiences and seeks to inspire a new perception of the world around us.”

Fragile Waters

On view October 5, 2013 through January 19, 2014

Fragile Waters comprises 119 black-and-white photographs by three iconic photographers and environmentalists: Ansel Adams, Ernest H. Brooks II, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly. These artists communicate the beauty and vitality of water, focusing on nature and engaging the viewer in affirming the intrinsic aesthetic, emotional and essential life value of water.

Fragile Waters calls attention to water, a critical resource, in all its beauty and power, inviting the viewer to engage with interpretations of three dynamic and dedicated photographers. From Ansel Adam’s first magical trip to Yosemite at 14, Ernest H. Brooks II’s first scuba dive at 13, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly’s infatuation with the salt marshes at 18, each of these photographers have lived their conviction, passion and commitment.

Brooks and Monnelly have each been referred to as the “Ansel Adams” of their genres, and like him, they have spent their lives near an ocean. Each has a strong “integrity of place.” Each has worked to protect the sanctity of the environment through the universal language of black-and-white photography. Environmental degradation raises growing concerns. Restoration and preservation of the Earth’s aquatic ecosystems — her Fragile Waters — is far more compelling through the empathetic lens of each of these environmental stewards.

Fragile Waters is designed to engage the viewer in a respectful and emotional connection to water. Water is more than a resource; it is essential to all life we know. This exhibition focuses on the beauty of pure free-flowing water, of reflections and light, of water forms such as rain clouds, ice and icebergs, and of life in water, providing us access to a world we may never otherwise know. Adams, Brooks, Monnelly, are devoted to nature, and that energy flows though their images. This exhibition was organized by photokunst, LLC and curated by Jeanne Adams.

Arp, Calder, and Miro: Modern Masters from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery

On view October 5, 2013 through January 19, 2014

Featuring a comprehensive an array of fifty-two works across varied media by Jean (Hans) Arp (French, born Germany, 1886–1966), Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983), and Alexander Calder (American, 1898–1976), this exhibition will highlight the work of three modern masters, who pushed color, line, and form beyond convention. Arp, Miró, and Calder converged early in their artistic careers. Calder, who left New York for France in 1926, first encountered Arp and Miró in Paris, an inspirational destination for artists and a vibrant center of music and dance. Paris was also the creative center for Surrealism—an art movement stressing the subconscious significance of imagery—and Surrealist theory in the visual arts, politics, and society. Calder, though not closely associated with Surrealism, was undoubtedly influenced by the movement’s key players during his time in Paris. It was Arp, in fact, who named Calder’s static constructions “stabiles,” and, in 1931, the Surrealist Marcel Duchamp suggested Calder call his whimsical, kinetic works “mobiles.” But Calder developed the closest friendship with Miró; the two bonded over discussions about Surrealist theory, and through shared interests and influences. These relationships, formed during a period in art history often referred to as “the greatest laboratory of modern art,” resulted in some of the most innovative visual iconographies of the twentieth century. This exhibition is organized by the Albright-Know Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Support for its Collection-based exhibition program is generously provided by the late Peggy Pierce Elfvin; The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc; The John R. Oishei Foundation; and The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation.

Sea of Tranquillity

On view October 5, 2013 through January 19, 2014

The medium-length film Sea of Tranquillity is a combination of live video recordings of actors and digitally-generated 3D environments in which the viewer makes a night-time visit to a mysterious, mythical cruise liner, the Sea of Tranquility.

This fictitious cruise liner has been designed by Brussels-based visual artist Hans Op de Beeck, following a short residence at Saint-Nazaire in France in 2008, during which the artist became intrigued by the remarkable Second World War story and postwar reconstruction of this harbour town, whose shipyards produce the world’s largest cruise liners. It seemed to the artist that the Queen Mary 2, then just completed, was, like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (the highest building in the world), a suitable metaphor for our belief in spurious values and in such concepts as work, leisure time and luxury consumerism. Society often uses such categories as ‘the highest’, ‘the first’ and ‘the biggest’, but his work explores the question of what these terms say about the actual quality of things. The central jazz song incorporated into the film is composed by Hans Op de Beeck; additional music has been composed by Sam Vloemans.

About the Tampa Museum of Art

The Tampa Museum of Art opened its award-winning home in 2010 with a commitment to providing innovative public programs with a strong focus on modern and contemporary art. The Museum balances a growing collection with a dynamic annual schedule of special exhibitions. It is the region’s largest museum devoted to art of our time and has built a reputation for embracing contemporary photography and new media. Leo Villareal’s Sky (Tampa) (the Museum’s 14,000-square-foot LED installation on its façade) has become an iconic image for Tampa. Since its founding in 1979, the Museum has been dedicated to providing quality education to students and adults, with more than half of its programs offered free of charge. The Museum is home to Sono Cafe, a Slow Food movement café overlooking the Hillsborough River, and has emerged as Tampa’s premiere venue for special events.